Reviews: The Green Knight & Norsemen

If you are hearing the call of the big screen but haven’t been overly impressed with the movies on offer, let me entice you with a weird and wonderful tale that intrigues, confounds, and deserves the biggest screen you can find: The Green Knight. It has the peculiar pleasure of being set in winter, so if the heat is getting you down, it is the perfect excuse to head to an air-conditioned theater and watch some beautifully shot cinema replete with falling snow.

This movie was written, directed, and edited by David Lowery and stars Dev Patel as Sir Gawain. I was fascinated to learn that because the film’s release date was delayed, Lowery took time to re-edit the entire movie. I would love to be able to have seen the pre- and post-pandemic cut. Even though I don’t have that kind of access, I can draw your attention to some of the interesting changes or choices Lowery made with the original poem.

The story follows Sir Gawain, the nephew of the legendary King Arthur, as he takes up the challenge of an interloper at a Christmas feast. However, the green knight’s challenge pulls Gawain on a journey that seems like it can only end with his own death. The bulk of the movie is Sir Gawain’s quest to find the Green Knight’s home or more simply to survive the dangers of the journey. The titular green knight reminded me less of the giant impeccably dressed green-skinned foe of the poem, and more of an Ent of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. The choice to make him tree-like with obvious Ent-like overtones, as opposed to a merely giant green man of the original poem, highlights the ecological angst of the film. As Sir Gawain sets out on his quest, trees are literally being felled in the field. This showcases man versus nature, one of the most classic movie plots; it seems like man has conquered and yet nature rallies to have her way. As the pandemic stutters to a long drawn out close and the ever-present reality of a warming planet haunts our collective aspirations and imagination, the film threatens and promises that green will outlast us all. Early in the movie, Esel, played by Alicia Vikander, responds to Gawain’s assertion that he is setting out on the quest to obtain greatness with a question of her own: “Greatness? Why is goodness not enough?” Throughout his quest, Gawain is confronted with the persistent question of what is he seeking? Is it goodness or greatness? What does goodness look like when his life is threatened? What does greatness look like when away from the sheltering myth of the round table? I left the theater with so many questions. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a beautifully executed movie that invites multiple viewings, playing with ancient and ever new questions of morality and mortality in ways that are sure to leave you wondering.

—Katie Dalziel

Fantasy shows and shows based in the Middle Ages often have a certain sense of pomp and circumstance. The great king, the hero of destiny, the outcast who can save us all, blah blah blah. It certainly can make for some great entertainment but frankly it can also muddle the diversity of content. What separates Game of Thrones from Lord of the Rings from Vikings from The Last Kingdom? They all fall into certain tropes and that is great if you are looking for something easy and familiar. Heck, that probably describes most TV. Truly unique television is when two genres combine to create their own adventure. This is where Norsemen succeeds. I want to state right off the bat that the show is not for everyone. Its sense of humor can be crude and insensitive, particularly around issues of sex and consent, so if those are triggers for you, I would recommend staying away. However, for those of you looking for something crude and unique, then look no further than this Viking sitcom that is basically The Office in 790 AD. Based around a group of villagers in Norway, Norsemen follows a diversity of characters from the incompetent chieftain to the village slaves. While the show has a larger underlying plot, it comedically deals with a lot of modern-day issues including unhappy marriages, bizarre legal systems that trap people, abusive bosses (a large part of the cast do play slaves), and a reluctance to change. There is no true hero of the show or main character, but just a large cast of very imperfect people. While it is certainly not a show that is going to win any Emmys, if you are looking to eat some pizza and watch mindless silly TV, then Norsemen is perfect. With three seasons on Netflix, now is the perfect time to start.

—Jonah van Driesum